Real Estate Video Advertising Free for Subscribed ClassifiedFlyerAds Members

At ClassifiedFlyerAds.com, we've been offering video creation and advertising for some time now. But now we're offering it to subscribed members at no additional cost and with no extra effort!

If subscribed members upload at least 10 photos when creating a listing flyer on ClassifiedFlyerAds, we'll automatically create and advertise a video of the property on YouTube. Not only will the videos will be optimized to get visibility on YouTube, but also in major search engines, like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. Each video title is optimized by city, state, and property type, as well as the listing address. In addition, there are property details and a link to the live flyer web page in the description area of the video. Each video comes with a closing "sell slide" at the end of the video, which displays the property address and an email address to contact the Agent.

After an Agent creates their property flyer on ClassifiedFlyerAds, they will receive an email confirmation (within 24 hours) with a link to their video on YouTube and a link to download and save the .AVI file to their computer. I welcome your comments and questions!

	See a Video in Action
	See Full Press Release

Homebuyers are searching online.

It is no secret that posting your property listings online is a smart marketing strategy, especially with the most recent report from NAR showing that now 87% of homebuyers use the Internet to search for a home (up from 84% in 2007). If you’re not already doing so, there is no better time than now to start posting your listings online.

People search online for homes in different ways.

While many homebuyers search straight from Google, many others will search for homes and information on the internet via a real estate directory (i.e. Trulia, Zillow, etc.), classified site (i.e. Oodle, Craigslist, etc.), social network (i.e. friend or connection on Facebook, Twitter, etc.), or other. That said, it is also no secret that the more places online that your listings appear; the better your chances are of someone actually finding your properties for sale.

Posting property listings online increases exposure.

Oodle, a popular online classified site that is continually growing, now powers Facebook Classifieds and AOL Classifieds, which means automatic syndication for your listings to more spaces on the web. ClassifiedFlyerAds has long syndicated real estate property listings to Oodle, along with dozens of other online sites and directories, so we are pleased to hear of the new partnership and growth. We are also pleased and excited at the additional exposure this brings for our members’ listings!

Are you effectively marketing your listings and services online?

Whether writing a title for your online classified flyer or a post on your blog, it is very important to do it right. An effective title can oftentimes be the difference between a successful effort and a flop. Here are some tips to consider:

 

For Online Classified Flyers

Online flyer ads are great for promoting property listings or real estate services online, but are most effective with a targeted title. Since these ads are syndicated to web directories and indexed by search engines, it’s important to keep targeted search terms in mind.

Think about what you are offering, then think about what your buyers and clients might type into Google when searching for that. An effective flyer ad title will synchronize these two concepts so the searcher finds just what they’re looking for - your online ad.

Many people, to their own detriment, try to title their flyers with catchy phrases, much like they would title an article, essay, or blog post. This creativity is lost on an online flyer, since buyers and clients rarely conduct a search using those phrases.

 

For Blog Posts

A blog post is a bit of a different ball game. It's great to make your title search engine friendly, but you also want to take your regular readers into consideration. Is your title interesting enough to get their attention and make them want to read more? If not, you have some work to do.

Think about your blog post titles from the reader's perspective. Search engine optimization definitely has its place, but completely ignoring the "interest factor" is not going to encourage readers to return or refer others.

If you are clever enough to title your posts in such a way that they will be search engine friendly and reader friendly, then you’ve found the jackpot! Remember, you can always use tags for an SEO boost, and channels and groups to help readers find your post more easily.

 

I certainly have not mastered the art myself, but with more experimenting every day, it's coming along! What are your thoughts? Have any tips to share? I'd love to hear them!

 

 

I'm conducting a re-blogging test with this post (in response to Bill's latest post), but it's a good read if you haven't come across it yet!

 

Via Real Estate Advertising - Misty Lackie:

I had a client contact me recently and ask “How can I get my services to place in multiple slots on the 1st page of Google?” Knowing that this client’s own website already places well in Google, I offered him a different approach. I offered him this approach because I have only ever seen the same domain rank in 2 spots on the 1st page of Google. My guess is Google intentionally does this so a single domain cannot dominate the entire first page and I think this is good practice on Google’s part.

So you ready for the advice I gave him?

Okay – here it goes…..

Use other online services to enhance your page 1 placement.

Yep, it’s as easy as that. Search Google for the search terms you would ideally like to rank for and see what other directories are coming up for that search. Chances are very high that other free directories or portals will rank. Search for “chula vista ca bank owned property” for an example. See the screenshot below for all the other directories that are ranking on page 1 for “chula vista ca bank owned property”.

Most people will click multiple results on the 1st page so you increase your chances of gaining that client or sale by being in multiple positions on that 1st page.

Let me use Bill Gassett as an example. Bill is an active AR member and is a very savvy internet guy who utilizes online tools to enhance his exposure. Search Google for "metrowest ma real estate". You will see Bill's own website in the 1st two spots. Great job Bill! Following are other sites Bill ranks for all on page 1.

- Bill's ActiveRain blog (twice)
- Bill's Blogger blog
- Bill's Localism profile

If I were a buyer or seller searching Google for "metrowest ma real estate", Bill's face would be in front of me 6 times. Guess who I would be contacting to sell me a property or to be my Agent? Yep! Bill would be the man.

So I guess what I am trying to say is think outside the box a little. Yes, ideally everyone would like to rank on page 1 for their own website but you can only grab so many spots for your own site. Use other resources out there to help you dominate more of those 10 spots on the 1st page.

The Blog World Expo in Las Vegas was quite an illuminating experience, with each session revealing tips, trends, and tools to help businesses and bloggers get the most out of their online social networking and blogging efforts. There was so much valuable information passed along that it's hard to assign priority and decide what to write about first. But don't worry, I won't continue rambling on in generalities for the remainder of this post, I'm going to get down to the nitty gritty and (hopefully!) teach you what I learned.

When it comes to learning and teaching specifics, I have a list-type personality; don't give me a map, give me step by step directions. Because of this, I'm going to break down what I learned into the most important points and outline them for you here. I'll go into more detail with each point in following posts (oh, the anticipation!), and update this outline with links to them for easy reference. So, without further ado, here's what I learned at the BlogWorld Expo (in no particular order of importance):

 

1. Blog vs. Website War - Nowadays, is it better to have a blog, a website, or both? Is it good to have multiple blogs? The answer comes in the form of another question. Des Walsh, business coach and social media strategist, asked, "Are you engaging your visitors?" That should be the ultimate goal of any effective online presence.

2. Be Active in Your Sphere - Simply having a presence is not enough, you must have a PRESENCE. According to Rohit Bhargava, author of the Influential Marketing Blog and the book Personality Not Included, says this means having a plan and a purpose for each space you fill online, and actively participating in it. "But wait", you say, "I have profiles in dozens of places online, and therefore cannot possibly be actively involved in all of them". So true! But you must decide on a plan and a purpose for each one, and be consistent.

3. Feed Your Center - So you say you have dozens of profiles online? Do you have a central or focus profile? If your answer was no, then you should get one! Denise Wakeman of The Blog Squad, talked about the importance of having a hub for your followers, friends, visitors, and fans (or whatever else you call your online connections). All of your online activity, including blogs and social networking sites, should point back to this home base. This will help simplify things for your contacts and yourself, as well as boost the ranking for your central blog / website.

4. Be Yourself - When promoting your listings, your services, your photos, or your experience, it's easy to forget to be personal. You want to impress, impress, impress, but you forget to be transparent (believe me, I've struggled with this myself!). Many, many speakers, including Brian Solis of Future Works, Chris Brogan of social networking fame, and Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO (@zappos), spoke on how important this is, noting that it is vital to have a personality and be someone that others want to connect with and want to do business with.

5. Twitter - Just do it. Since I've been back from the Expo, I've often referred to it as the "Twitter World Expo" because of the prominent role that Twitter played in the whole thing. Every conference room had Twitter on the big screen, every session mentioned or integrated it, and almost every "guru" sung its praises. If you don't Twitter yet, you may be thinking, "What's it all about and how does it work?". To get started, check out this start guide for Twitter, written by Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, or this video, Twitter in Plain English, by Lee Lefever of CommonCraft. Basically, it's about getting connected and building quality relationships.
 

There was so much more shared, but I think these are the most relevant and applicable to the AR community. As I go into more detail in following posts, I hope you will be able to apply these tips to your current business (if you haven't done so already!).

Oh yeah, and if you Twitter, you can follow me @candees - I'll follow you back ;)